A New Kind of Love
by remuslives
Summary: Harry is raising Teddy and wants to provide him with a proper family. Harry/Hermione. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_**A New Kind of Love **Monsterous thanks to KaraSays for beta reading this._

"Hello? Harry, are you here?" Hermione let herself in the front door. "Harry?"

"Back here," Harry called from the back of his little cottage. Hermione wandered towards the sound of high pitched squeals and low chuckles. She reached the open door to the bathroom. There, kneeling on the floor in front of the tub was a very wet Harry. He was chuckling while trying to hold onto an extremely soapy little Teddy. Hermione watched as Harry picked up a cup to rinse the shampoo from the boy's thick, dusty blonde hair. With a squeal, the toddler had covered his eyes and all of his hair sucked up into his skull, leaving him balder than a newborn baby and covered in suds. "Nice one, Teddy." Harry emptied the cup on the boy's head anyways, rinsing away all of the soap. "Hey, Hermione, could you hand me that towel?"

"Sure," she said, passing him a fluffy little hooded towel.

"Thanks," Harry said. He wrapped the towel around the little boy and lifted him out of the tub. "So, what brings you here?"

Hermione followed him to the front room. "Not much really. I was just bored. Thought I'd come spend some time with my favourite guy."

Harry threw her a huge smile over his shoulder. "I'm your favourite?"

"I was talking about Teddy," she said, smiling at Harry's eye roll. "But, you're a close second."

"Gee, thanks. Here," he said, "hold onto your number one for a sec."

"My-oh!" Teddy squealed, wrapping his arms around her neck. "Baff," he gurgled, curly brown hair sprouting from his scalp.

"How are you, my love?" Hermione asked him, fingers tickling his tummy.

"Dada baff." Two tiny hands squished her cheeks.

"Dada?" Her eye's widened. Strong hands reached out to take Teddy. Harry pulled the little boy to his now bare chest.

"He decided last night that I wasn't "Har' anymore," Harry said with the largest grin Hermione had seen him wear in years.

"Wow. And Ginny?"

"Still Nin," he said darkly.

"Oh. Is she terribly disappointed?"

"No."

"Oh!" Hermione frowned. Ginny had been upset when Harry had taken in Teddy. She had thought that Mrs. Tonks would raise him. But, Teddy's grandmum was still a wreck and Harry had insisted. They all thought that Ginny's resentment was only temporary. However, a year later, she still seemed to be waiting for Teddy to go live with his grandmother. "Are you alright?"

Her friend sighed, trying to pull the toddler's shirt over his suddenly enormous head. "Teddy," Harry warned. Teddy's head shrunk back to normal. "Thank you. There you go, little man." They both watched as Teddy launched himself across the room towards his toys. "I'm okay. It's not really a surprise, is it?"

"I guess not." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Where is she?"

"No idea. She said she was going to the Burrow, but Mrs. Weasley hasn't seen her."

"What about her flat mates?" Ginny shared a small flat with two other girls she knew from her Hogwarts days.

"Nope." There was a long silence. "I ran into Dean and Parvati at the park this afternoon."

"I haven't seen them in ages. How are they?"

"Good. Their baby's really cute, getting big." Another pause. Hermione kept quiet, waiting for him to say whatever it was he was wrestling with. "Dean said Seamus were supposed to have dinner with them last night. He didn't show up though."

"No," she whispered.

"Yeah. And he wasn't at home this morning either."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Hermione, don't. We both know exactly what it means. And, again, not really a surprise. It was only a matter of time. Especially since they started working together. All those 'work dates' and pulling overnighters. I'm not an idiot. I just didn't want to ruin Teddy's chance at having a mother."

"Harry," she scolded, "if you want to give Teddy a mum, it has to be one that loves him. Otherwise she'll end up being his Aunt Petunia. And, personally, I think he'd be better off without. Besides, with or without Ginny, he still has his Grandmum and Grandpa Weasley."

"And his Aunt My-oh." Harry grinned weakly, bumping into her gently.

Hermione leaned against him, resting her head against his broad shoulder. "We really need to work on his pronunciation."

Harry snorted, wrapping an arm around her. "Thanks, Hermione." He kissed the top of her head lightly. "What would I do without you?"

"Mope with Ron?"

"Probably," he laughed. He released her and stood. "Alright, Teddy-oh, it's bedtime. Give My-oh a kiss."

Hermione smiled at the large sloppy kiss she received. "Goodnight sweet Teddy." She stayed on the couch, listening to her friend's soft voice as he read to his godson.

"Luff Dada," Teddy yelled after the lights were extinguished.

"Daddy loves Teddy, too. Now go to sleep."

"Luff My-oh," Teddy yelled again.

"My-oh loves you too, Teddy, sleep." Harry's soft chuckle was followed by quiet footfalls returning to the living room. Hermione watched him walk in and couldn't help wondering when he had grown into a man. He had acted the part for several years, but she couldn't recall when his body had become so…desirable. His chest and abs lean but muscular, his sculpted arms, the water still dripping from his hair down his neck down to that little path of hair disappearing below his waist band. She turned her face away when she felt her cheeks warming up. "Hot?" he asked dropping down beside her.

"Oh! Um, a little." Her cheeks darkened at the realization he caught her blushing. She heard him mumbling a cooling charm and fought to push the color out of her cheeks. "Better, thanks." Desperate to distract herself from the sudden uncomfortable thoughts, she brought up the old standby. "I saw Ron yesterday."

"Oh yeah? How is he? I haven't seen him in almost a week."

"He's alright; still moping about the latest girl. What was her name? Cammie? Pammy? Hmm, something like that anyway. George is trying to convince him to go on a blind date."

"He should do it. George knows some nice girls." Harry stretched out on the couch.

"Ron isn't looking for nice girls. That's what he needs but he's too preoccupied with other things he _thinks_ he needs." Hermione smiled, leaning her head back on Harry's arm. "He told me I don't know anything about a man's needs. That they can't be ignored for so long."

"He wasn't trying to get you to, er," he said, shifting uncomfortably. "Fulfill those needs. Was he?"

Hermione choked on her laughter to keep from waking Teddy. "No. He was griping about it and I told him how long it had been for me and that's when I got the men's needs are more pressing then women's line."

Harry snickered beside her. "What a load of crap. It's been longer for me than it has for you and I'm not throwing myself at every bird that passes."

"Longer!?" She turned to see Harry's red face looking back. "But Ginny…"

"I told you it wasn't surprising." He sighed heavily and flicked his wand at the Wizard's Wireless. "Let's not talk about what a coward I am anymore, alright?" Hermione relaxed against his arm again and Harry slouched deeper into the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione woke up feeling extremely hot; it felt like her blanket was smothering her. She tried to roll onto her back but found herself blocked. Her face was pressed into what she felt sure were cushions or scratchy pillows. She must've fallen asleep on Harry's couch again, which would explain the hard, heavy mass pressing into her from behind. Sure enough, there was Harry's arm, draped limply across her abdomen. Knowing it was futile to try and move her best friend when he was asleep, Hermione contented herself to listen to the sounds of his home. There was quiet ticking noise from the kitchen, which must belong to his clock. A soft rattling also came from the kitchen area; his owl must be just arriving in his cage after a long night of hunting. Teddy's soft chatter told her he was awake too, but content enough to allow Harry a little more sleep.

After lying patiently for a while, she got bored and decided to try and get up to help Teddy eat some breakfast before he had a chance to wake Harry. She debated about how to go about this and settled on trying to brace her hands against the back of the couch, while shoving lightly against his chest; predictably he didn't budge. She sighed and pushed a little bit harder, instead of backing away from her however, Harry's arms tightened around her. She hadn't even noticed the one that was underneath her until it pulled her closer. Both of his hands were now lying flat against her tummy, holding her close. She gave up and relaxed, enjoying the rare treat of being held, even if it was just by Harry. Hermione closed her eyes and rested her hands on top of his.

"Mmm…" Harry hummed as he nuzzled in her hair. "Smell good," he mumbled, slipping one knee between her thighs. His hand started sliding up from her belly heading toward her breast. She had just opened her mouth to stop him when Teddy's cry came from the other room. Harry groaned as he rolled away, landing on the floor with a loud thump. "What the?" He sat dazed for a few moments before his eyes wandered up to meet Hermione's.

Fighting the urge to laugh, she watched as he stood and rubbed his bottom. Again before she could speak, Teddy's cry rang through the room. Harry sighed and headed in that direction. "I'll get his breakfast ready."

"Thanks."

She made her way to the kitchen and rifled around until she found the cereal. She had just set the bowels on the table when Harry entered the room carrying Teddy. "Hey, you rearranged your cabinets."

"Yeah. Would you watch Teddy for a few minutes?" His face was set in a hard line that only softened at Teddy's name.

"Sure, come here big guy. Are you hungry?" she asked, taking the boy from his arms and sitting him at the table. He eagerly began eating with his fingers. She sat beside him and started on her own food. "Is it good?"

"Nin go bye-bye," Teddy said with a mouthful of food.

"Yes, she went bye-bye. But it'll be okay. Daddy won't ever leave you." She smiled as Teddy's hair immediately morphed to look like Harry's.

"Just go, Ginny!" Harry's voice thundered from the living room.

"Come on, Harry," Ginny pleaded loudly.

"No! I've had enough of this Ginny." He was no longer yelling but his voice still carried clearly to where Hermione and Teddy sat. "We don't love each other. We haven't for a long time now." His voice lowered so that Hermione could no longer hear him.

"Keep eating, Teddy," she said quietly.

"Please, Harry, don't do this." Ginny's high voice barely carried to them.

After several long minutes of silence, Harry trudged back into the kitchen. He sat and started on his soggy cereal. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect her to want to come back. Thought she was just here to end things." He sighed heavily. "She said we could still be together if I," he glanced at his godson, "was willing to compromise."

"She'll get over it. She must realize there are certain things that just can't be compromised."

"Well, that's her problem now. I've got Teddy and that's all that matters." He smiled at the boy. "We're family. Aren't we buddy?"

Teddy answered with a loud belch and started squirming to get out of his seat.

"Are you still going to the Burrow tonight?" Hermione asked him while washing out the dishes.

"I'm not sure. If Ginny's there, it really wouldn't be very nice of me."

"Screw nice. If you don't go Mrs. Weasley will complain the whole time."

"I'll think about it," he promised.

"Good."

* * *

**--3 months later--**

Hermione sat on the floor in her flat, reading a book she'd read _at least_ twice before. She leaned back against the couch and allowed her mind to wander; she was surprised at its destination. She remembered the feel of his strong arms around her, his hard chest pressed tightly to her.

"Hermione?" his voice called.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she imagined rolling over to face him. His beautiful blue eyes looking back at her. She sighed as he kissed her.

"Hermione?" A new voice questioned from beside her. "Wake up. It's time to go."

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, the vision of her last night with Ron fading. In its place was Harry, eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Are you still going out with us tonight?"

"Oh! I forgot," she said, leaping to her feet and nearly tipping over.

"Slow down. You were sleeping pretty deep. Besides, you know Ron's always late anyway."

"Alright, I'm fine." She looked at Harry's jeans and faded t-shirt. "Do I need to change?" His eyes took in her slacks and striped blouse.

"No, you look good."

"Alright, let's go then. Who's watching Teddy?"

"Andromeda, she's been doing really well lately." They floo'd to Ron's flat. "I told him not to change though, unless she asked him to. I wasn't sure if memories of Tonks would make her happy today or not."

"Hey guys," George greeted them from the sofa. "Might as well sit down and get comfortable. He's going to be a while."

Sighing, they both squished themselves onto the couch beside their friend, it was the only seating available. "So, who else are we meeting there?" Harry questioned.

"Another girl for Ron. Plus, a few others."

"Well that was really vague. What aren't we going to like about these 'others'?" Hermione eyed him warily. Harry was shaking his head at her until George started to chuckle, then his eyes narrowed as he glared at their older friend.

"It's nothing." George stopped laughing. "Honest. It was just the looks on your faces," he paused, "I may have invited a couple of potentials for you guys, too." George held up a hand to Harry when he started to interrupt. "How long has it been since either of you were on a date?" They looked at each other but neither answered. "Exactly."

_Thanks to the lovely KaraSays for beta reading this._


	3. Chapter 3

Harry stayed beside Hermione as they entered the small pub. George, Fred, and Ron led the way to what was obviously their usual booth. Waiting for them were two very attractive men and five women; four of whom looked excited.

"Jillian!" George exclaimed as they reached the large table.

"Hey George. Looks like we got a lot of company tonight," the pretty brunette said before hugging him.

"That's right," George said.

"Date night," Fred completed. "Hey Phyllis, looking good." He hugged the shortest girl, also a brunette.

"George and Jillian, Fred and Phyllis, do you think they planned that?" Harry whispered close to Hermione's ear.

"Probably," she responded with a smile.

"Alright, Anne this is Ron, my brother, your date," George introduced them. "Next we have Cally and Sarah for Harry. And last-"

"Wait," Harry interrupted, "Cally _and_ Sarah?"

"Yup," Fred said, grinning. "We figured it gives better odds that you'll like one of them."

"Typical," the perky red-head smiled. "I'm Cally Thomas." She held out her hand.

"Harry Potter," he returned reluctantly. He wasn't surprised as her eyes widened and darted up to his forehead. What did take him a moment to register was the suddenly attentive blonde, Sarah.

"Hello Harry, I'm Sarah Longbottom." She smiled toothily and offered her bent-wrist hand, to which both Cally and Hermione scoffed.

"Right, hello." He shook her hand briefly, and then crossed his arms defensively.

"And last, we have Michael and Gary for Hermione," George finished.

"Excuse me. A word, George," the tall dark one said, barely glancing in her direction.

"Sure Mike," George answered, looking slightly weary.

With a half-hearted smile, the short and burly Gary followed close behind the others a few feet away.

"George," Mike began, "you said-"

"I know exactly what I said," George cut him off. Hermione pretended to not be able to hear them. "And I delivered. That there is Hermione Granger, the good humored, smart, and attractive bird that I promised."

"Granger? That sounds familiar," Gary spoke for the first time.

"It should. She was three years behind me and in Gryffindor, but even I know who she is," Mike said with a sneer. "In Ravenclaw, she was most often referred to her as the bossy little Granger girl and for good reason."

"It's been a long time since Hogwarts." Fred narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Not that long."

"Look at her," George said. "_That_ is a woman. Besides, she can't be the bossy Granger girl anymore; she's practically a Weasley now."

"Still, you told me she was good looking," Mike continued. "Look at her; she's…plain and boring."

"And you're blind," Fred countered. "Besides, the longer you know her, the better looking she gets."

"You must have known her a real long time then."

"Listen," George stopped them, "this isn't getting us anywhere. Either you stay or you go Mike. But if you stay, you had better treat our girl right."

"Let me think about it," he sighed, looking at her again.

Hermione kept her face averted, watching the conversation between Harry and his two dates, or rather his defiantness to their flirtations. He had his arms crossed still, standing apart from them, still beside her. Both of them however, were leaning in towards him, occasionally reaching out to touch his arms, chattering like there was no tomorrow.

"Why are we all standing around?" George questioned when he returned with Fred and Gary. "You should be dancing."

"Or drinking," Fred said, noticing Harry's defensive posture. "Phyllis, let's go shake a leg." The twins left the others on their own and made their way to the dance floor with their dates.

"So, Harry, shall we sit?" Sarah gestured to the empty booth beside them, before sliding in easily and patting the spot beside her.

"Actually, I think I'm going to go get some drinks," Harry said, walking towards the bar. Hermione started to follow him when a hand caught her around the arm.

"Sit," Cally said enthusiastically. "Isn't he dreamy?"

"He's alright," Sarah allowed. "Kind of pale, don't you think? He could use a haircut for sure."

"Yeah, but he's Harry bleeding Potter, isn't he. Does it really matter if he's a bit pale and thin?" Cally asked sliding into the booth beside Sarah.

Hermione still hovered, not liking the conversation one bit but also not wanting to drive off George's picks for Harry; it really had been a long time since he dated. He was perfectly content to sit at home and raise his godson.

"Come on then, Herminney, have a seat," Gary said while sliding into the booth opposite the girls and smiling loosely at her.

"Alright, I guess," she mumbled, sitting next to the bloke. She really wished he'd take his arm off the back of the seat. "And it's Hermione."

"Mione," he countered with a lopsided grin, she supposed was supposed to be sexy.

"No, Hermione." She glared at him, so he knew she was serious.

He scrunched up his brow a bit like he wasn't used to being corrected or turned down. "You win, Hermione, it is. Waitress!" he shouted over her, leaning in too close. A gorgeous, tall woman walked over to them with a smile.

"What can I get you?" she asked Gary, ignoring the women.

"Mead," Gary answered, "and this lovely lady will have a butterbeer."

"No thanks," Hermione told the waitress.

"Oh come on, Granger," Michael said, "It's only butterbeer." He flopped onto the booth next to her, forcing her closer to Gary. "Surely you can handle one little butterbeer."

"Excuse me," Harry mumbled to the waitress, sliding into the booth beside Cally. He carefully sat his load on the table, sliding the elegant wine glass over to Hermione. "I wasn't sure what you two would want, so I brought you butterbeers," he said, indicating the two brown bottles setting to his right. He took a sip of his own drink that matched Hermione's.

"Typical," Michael scoffed.

"Excuse me? What's typical?" Hermione asked, she wished he would just leave.

"You'll take whatever _Harry Potter _sets in front of you, but you snub a butterbeer from your date."

"It's elderflower wine," Harry and Hermione both exclaimed. They looked at each other and Harry finished, "It's her favorite."

_This chapter was un-beta'd so please excuse any errors you find. Thanks for reading, please leave me a review so I know what you liked or didn't like._


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Quite a few of you are apparently wondering what on earth Fred and George were thinking, so here's my response. **_

**Fred and George wouldn't see these sides of the dates. As good looking, fun loving, and naturally charismatic guys, the girls wouldn't have treated them the same. And I see Cally as a generally nice girl, who's just star-struck. It'd be like setting you or I up on a blind date and suddenly spring Dan Radcliffe on us. It'd send you into complete odd-dome, you wouldn't really be yourself. Sarah, yes, is a vain bitch, but the twins wouldn't have seen that because she would've have been attracted to them and therefore nice and flirtatious to them. As for Michael, and Gary for that matter, he's a guy. And yeah, maybe they know he's all about looks, BUT they find Hermione attractive, so they thought he would too. And if you remember they were surprised and a little irritated that he didn't. I hope this clears up what I was thinking when I wrote this. Thanks guys! Also thanks to KaraSays for beta reading this for me.**

"It's elderflower wine," Harry and Hermione both exclaimed. They looked at each other and Harry finished, "It's her favorite."

"Besides, I didn't refuse the butterbeer because it was from Gary; I turned it down because I knew Harry would bring me back a drink."

"Is that so?" Michael asked, obviously not believing her.

"Yes, it is." She turned her attention away from him to see Harry's dates looking at their butterbeers but not taking them. Cally kept making eyes at him as if waiting for him to place it in front her of like he had Hermione's. Sarah was staring at it with a slightly curled upper lip. Harry finally seemed to notice their lack of acceptance.

"If you don't want them, feel free to order something else." Harry gestured towards the gawking waitress. Since, he had shown up, her eyes hadn't left him, lingering frequently on his scar.

"I'll have a sherry," Sarah immediately piped up.

"Butterbeer's fine with me," Cally said, "Starting slow; always a good idea." She looked at him hopefully one last time, which he failed to notice, before moving the drink in front of herself.

"I'll take a gillywater, thanks," Michael looked over at Harry. "Is this round on you Potter?"

Harry looked at him sternly, "Sure."

"Great, put it on Potter's tab."

"I don't have a tab," Harry said, pulling out a galleon and handing it to the waitress who 'accidentally' caught his fingers after he dropped the coin into her hand. Both he and Hermione silently sipped their drinks while the others stared at them.

"So, Harry," Cally began, "where have you been keeping yourself? I haven't seen anything about you in the _Prophet_ for ages." She had turned in her seat, effectively blocking Sarah from his view, not that he was looking.

"Home mostly," he answered somewhat warily.

"Oh."

Silence reigned again. But to Hermione's surprise, it was Harry that broke it this time.

"Teddy was asking for you today," Harry told her. "You should come over tomorrow when he gets back from Andromeda's. He'll be dying to tell you all about it."

"What time's she bringing him back?"

"Supposed to be around ten, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be closer to noon."

"Alright, I'll come over around nine."

"Wait," Sarah said, sitting forward and pushing Cally out of her way. "Who's Teddy? And don't think you might be a little tired or hung over at nine or ten in the morning? Or, _otherwise _preoccupied?" she finished with a smirk at Harry.

"No, I don't imagine I will be." He didn't even bother looking over at the girl as her smile dropped from her face.

"Here you are." The waitress had returned with their drinks, handing them out to their owners. She held Harry's change in her palm for him to retrieve.

He eyed her for a moment. "Keep it."

"Thank you, if there's anything you need, just give me a call," she smiled at him again, "My name's Victoria."

"Thanks Vickie," Gary said loudly.

"Sure, but, it's Victoria."

"Tory, then," he gave her the same lopsided grin he had tried to use on Hermione.

"Tory," she paused, "I like that." She left with a toothy smile just for Gary.

"Why do you insist on re-naming people?" Hermione asked. She was rapidly getting bored and if things didn't pick up soon, she was going home.

"I like nicknames. It makes me like we're friends. Long names like Victoria sound so stuffy. Vickie or Tory, now that sounds like a fun girl."

"That's ridiculous," Hermione scoffed, slightly offended.

"Hang on," Cally interrupted, "You never answered who Teddy was."

"My godson," Harry was glaring just over Hermione's left shoulder.

"Oh, that's so sweet," she gushed. "Do you see him often?"

"Everyday."

"Wow, his parents bring him by every day?"

"No, his parents died in the war," his voice wavered slightly and he lowered his gaze to his glass. When he looked up again, his face was pulled with pain. "He…"

"Harry's raising him now," Hermione supplied. She slid her foot under the table to rest against his, the only offer of comfort she knew he would accept in such a public place.

"Raising him? He lives with you?" Sarah had leaned forward again. This time, however, she didn't look interested, instead she looked almost annoyed.

"Yeah."

"Doesn't he have somewhere else to go? Someone more experienced to take care of him?"

"His grandmum looks after him every once in a while. But, he's not going anywhere. We're family."

"Family," she whispered, her face opening shocked.

"That's right. And there's nothing more important to me than family." Harry looked up at Hermione. "I'm going to step out and get some air."

"I'll come with you." She turned and found a strange look on Michael's face. "Excuse me."

"Sure," he said softly. He stood to allow her out. "You know, I think George was right."

"About what?" she asked getting out of the booth and standing beside Harry.

"The longer I listen to you, the prettier you get."

She could feel her face starting to burn as she fought a losing battle with the blush. "If you say so. We'll be back in a few minutes." She led the way to the back door of the pub, Harry just behind her, brushing against her every so often. The cool air hit her face, making her gasp lightly. "It's getting cold."

"Yeah," Harry agreed quietly leaning against the side of the building. "Some dates George picked for us."

"I know. What was he thinking?"

Harry shrugged and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Those guys are jerks."

"They could be worse."

"And that Gary, acting like he owns you." Harry's eyes narrowed as his face darkened.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"Having his arm around you like that. I know you noticed."

"Oh, that. Yeah, I noticed. I don't think he wants to own me though. In fact, I doubt he'd even want to rent me." Harry made a noise in his throat that Hermione ignored. "And what about that Sarah?"

"Which one was that?"

Hermione snorted, "The blonde. The one that suddenly popped into the date when your name was mentioned."

"Ah. What about her?"

"Bit of a snob. The other one's not much better either."

"They're not so bad."

"If they're not so bad, why did you suddenly decide to mention Teddy?"

"What," he said innocently. "He did mention you and I do want you to be there when he gets back in the morning."

"Uh-huh."

"It's true!" His voice hit a high note and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine, I figured that'd get me some breathing room. And make it clear exactly where tonight _wasn't _leading. I noticed you played along just fine."

"Yeah, well…" her voice trailed off. A loud grunt caught her attention and she turned to look into the shadow just off to their right. "What's that?" she whispered.

"Don't you mean who," Harry said, shaking his head. A glint of red hair was just visible in the dim light. The figure was making short jerking motions and a low wail began from dark shape between him and the wall.

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked silently. Harry chuckled quietly and started shoving her back towards the door. "What is wrong with him?" she said loudly once they were inside the noisy pub again. "Couldn't he at least keep it in his pants until he Aparated home? Can you imagine if that had been someone else to find him? He'd be in the papers _again_; Mrs. Weasley would be furious!" Harry was laughing with his arm slung over her shoulders to keep her from turning back and scolding Ron mid romp. They reached the table and the other four seemed to be frozen exactly where they left them. "Honestly!" she huffed, dropping into the booth beside Michael.

"Give him a break, Hermione. He's finally got all the things he's wanted since he was about 12; let him enjoy it."

"It's embarrassing! Do you know he's slept with five women from my office? Five!"

"Is that counting you?"

"No! And that's just _my_ office. He's been all over the place. For crying out loud, we haven't been apart for _that_ long. It's ridiculous. He's whoring himself all over the country."

"Who're we talking about?" Gary asked in a slightly timid voice. Everyone was eyeing Hermione carefully.

"Ron!" she shouted and continued on with her rant. "He's degrading himself constantly. He needs to find a nice girl to settle down with, like that Angela girl from a few months ago, she was lovely. But what does Ron do? He cheats on her. It's just so unlike him."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as all of that," Gary offered.

"Of course it is!" she rounded on him, leaning past Michael to get a good look at him. "He's such a great guy but he's just running around shoving his-"

"Hermione!" Harry laughed loudly. "Enough already. Do you realize what you were about to say?"

"Of course I do, I was saying he shoves his-" she broke off, face turning bright red. "Oh, oh my. Sorry about that." Harry continued to laugh, which eased the tension from the others at the table, who seemed to be expecting another explosion. "Shut it you."

"Talk like that in front of my son and I'll make sure Grandmum Weasley knows exactly where he heard it from."

"Yeah yeah," she grumbled.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione and Harry's banter continued briefly but none of the others seemed inclined to join in the conversation. Neither of them, however, noticed nor cared.

Suddenly, Cally's enthusiastic voice rang out, "I love this song!" Harry ignored the girl's not-so-subtle hint and took a drink of his wine. "Come on, Harry, let's dance."

"No thanks," he said with a shake of his head.

The pretty girl pouted and gripped his elbow. She didn't pay any attention to his sigh as she continued to try and persuade him. "Why not?"

"I don't dance."

"Awe, don't be like that. Everyone can dance." She started smiling, thinking she'd won the disagreement.

"Of course I _can, _but not well and definitely not in pubic."

She frowned again, leaning against his arm. "We'll just have to wait for a slow one then," she whispered seductively in his ear, while he leaned his head away from her lips.

"No, that's alright. You love this song, don't bother waiting for me. I'm sure one of these blokes will dance with you." He slipped his arm gently out of her grasp.

"Oh, I see," she said, slowly. She glanced behind her to Sarah, who was looking smug. "Any takers?" she asked the men across from her.

"I love to dance," Gary agreed, but hesitated to get up. "If you don't mind, that is," he said to Hermione.

"Feel free," she blew it off.

"Would you care to dance, Hermione?" Michael asked her as Gary climbed over the back of the booth to get out.

"Er, no thank you. I'm not a fan of public humiliation." Hermione was well aware that she had many talents, none of which existed on the dance floor. There was a time, when she was younger, that she didn't mind jumping around and having fun; but most of the bodies on the floor were grinding against each other in a very serious and sensual manor that she knew she couldn't pull off.

Michael sighed, but didn't push the issue, for which she was grateful. He did, however, slip his arm behind her on the seat, and sit closer than was strictly necessary given the amount of room left after Gary vacated his seat. She raised uncomfortable eyes to meet Harry's. He had just sat back down from letting Cally out. Sarah immediately took up the girl's spot, winding her hand through the crook of his elbow, smiling widely at him. Apparently, the inconvenience of Teddy was forgotten.

Hermione watched as Harry's annoyed features turned towards the beautiful blond woman. "Maybe you should find a partner to dance with too," he suggested.

Michael snorted into his gillywater. And Hermione turned her wide eyes away from them all. She wasn't sure when the last time she had seen Harry be so rude was. And she wasn't sure why she enjoyed it. Her normal reaction would be to chastise him for behaving so. She just really disliked that Sarah-girl. She was so obviously only interested in Harry for his fame. Well, to be fair, she was also probably interested in his gold.

"But, I…" Sarah stuttered. Her eyes widened and she released his arm. "You make absolutely no sense. Do you have any idea the number of men who would love to be in your place? There must be something wrong with you." She grabbed her purse roughly from the seat and stood, forcing Harry out of the booth. "Honestly," she huffed. She walked towards a group of young, well dressed men sitting at a nearby table. They could hear her mumbling angrily the whole way.

"Nice one, Potter," Michael chucked easily. "I don't think I've ever seen someone blow her off like that. You were brilliant!" His eyes were still on the angry woman now surrounded by adoring men.

"I didn't do it to be brilliant," Harry said, sounding disgusted.

"Oh, well I-" Michael began softly, but Hermione spoke over him.

"That wasn't nice, Harry." She had to make an effort to sound sincerely disappointed in him, but Harry's bright green eyes zeroed in on her, surprise showing in their depths. He saw through her efforts.

"No it wasn't, but I'm not apologizing." He still watched her, looking a little confused.

"You should," she murmured half heartedly.

"She'll just take that as an invitation to hang on my arm again," he said distractedly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine, why?"

"You know why." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Cally and Gary returned at that moment and Harry was pushed into the booth until he reached the wall, since they sat together. They remained close and gushed over each other for several minutes, while the rest watched them silently.

"Harry, Herminny," Cally started, "I think we're going to take off. If that's alright with both of you, of course." She spoke to them but her eyes never left her dancing partner.

"Of course not," Hermione blurted, glancing at Harry, who simply shrugged. She glanced at her watch for the first time and was surprised to see the time. "Wow, it's already 11:00."

"You say that like it's late," Michael smiled at her. His new attitude was making her uncomfortable. She preferred him rude and standoffish. She felt her whole body freeze up when he reached a hand up to push a lock of hair behind her ear. She heard Harry make a bizarre, strangled noise. "However, if you'd like to get out of here…" He let the sentence hang.

"You know, I think I would," she squeaked.

"What?" Harry practically yelped.

"I'm ready to leave," she said, trying to control her voice. She ignored the satisfied grin on Michael's face and focused instead on Harry's bewildered expression. "We've got an early morning coming and it is getting late. Besides, I had a long day; I'm more than ready for bed."

Michael grabbed her hand before she could react. "Have a good night, Potter."

"Um, Michael," Hermione was uncomfortable again. "I think you've misunderstood me." He scrunched up his handsome brow and waited for her to continue. "I'm going home to bed…alone…just me."

"But, I thought…you said," he looked genuinely confused.

"Have a good night," Harry gloated, leading the way to the alley so they could Apparate home.

"Wait, Hermione," Michael insisted, following them out the door. "Do you think we could get together some other time? Next weekend maybe."

"I really don't think that's possible, Michael. But thank you, all the same." She stopped to face him. "I had a…interesting time. You go on back in and have fun." She grabbed hold of Harry's bicep and turned them on the spot, not seeing the pleased look Harry was wearing. She Apparated them to Harry's front yard. "Well that turned unexpected."

"No kidding." He pulled down the wards and made his way in, Hermione on his heels. "Remind me never to go on another blind date again. That was awful."

"I quite agree." She tossed her jacket over one of his chairs. "And the assumptions they made!"

"Yeah, I didn't like that Michael bloke." He dropped heavily to the couch. "What a wanker."

"Yeah, he was," she agreed lightly, flopping down beside him. "Mind if I stay?" she asked, already kicking off her shoes.

"Course not," he answered, also removing his shoes. "Want a shirt?"

"Please." He left for his bedroom and she headed into the bathroom. He joined her a few moments later, shirtless and wearing flannel pajama bottoms. He tossed a shirt onto the back of the toilet for her and grabbed his toothbrush. She was just finishing up and rinsed hers off and setting it back in the cup where it stayed. She grabbed her spare brush that she also kept at Harry's, and pulled it roughly through her hair several times before braiding the curly mass. He just finished rinsing his toothbrush and left the bathroom as she reached for the hem of her shirt, not bothering with the buttons and pulling it over her head. Her hands were behind her back, unfastening the clasp to her bra, when the door opened and Harry sucked in a loud breath. She froze.

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. I was out-of-town for a while with a sick relative. Hope you didn't get too impatient with me. I'll be quicker next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Shit! Hermione, I'm sorry," Harry burst out. His eyes however, did not convey the apology well, as they were trained on her barely concealed torso. He seemed to realize this and his eyes darted up to hers; she was still frozen in place. "Hermione, honestly, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd be that fast. I just wanted to ask if you-never mind, don't worry about it. Sorry." He left in a flustered hurry, shutting the door quickly behind him, unfreezing Hermione.

She dropped her arms to her sides and the bra slipped easily to floor. Taking a deep breath, she snatched his shirt off the back of the toilet and slipped it over her head. She loved the feel of Harry's shirts; they were big and warm and always smelled so pleasant, just like him. Sniffing the collar she relaxed and slid her slacks off and tossed all of her clothes in the hamper in the corner, setting her wand on the sink. She took another deep breath and exited the bathroom; Harry was waiting, leaning against the wall beside the door.

"I'm really sorry," he said again. He rubbed the back of his neck and refused to meet her eyes.

"Harry it's alright," she assured him. "You just took me by surprise. Besides, it's nothing you haven't seen before." She was referring to the time they had shared a tent, in what should have been their seventh year at Hogwarts. More than once, they had walked in on each other while the other was changing. At the time, it hadn't seemed like such a big deal.

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged awkwardly. "Hey, I was thinking, the reason I came in there, I was thinking about every other time you've stayed here. We always end up on the couch together anyways, why not just sleep in my bed? It's more comfortable and at least you won't end up pinned in when you wake up."

"Oh! Um, okay, sure." She followed him to his bedroom. She'd been in there plenty of times before, but never to sleep. "Makes sense."

"Not a big deal at all," he confirmed. He climbed in at the same time she did and they both tried to relax on their own sides of the modest bed. He sighed a few times and she twisted and turned a little, not able to get comfortable. She was about to suggest that they just go back to the couch, when his arms reached out and pulled her close. Without a second thought, she molded her body to his, back to chest just like they shared the couch so frequently. "This okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah," she whispered back. She wasn't usually awake for this part, and it felt a little strange to knowingly cuddle up to Harry's warm chest. But, she also couldn't deny that she enjoyed it. She closed her eyes and sighed.

One large hand reached out and smoothed her hair back, though the braid still held it tightly. She couldn't stop the shiver that traced her spine as that hand slid down her neck, over her shoulder and arm and to her waist. It stayed there for a moment before sliding around to her tummy and pressing her closer. His other arm, which was tucked under her pillow, gently circled up and held her shoulder. He was the one to sigh this time, his breath breezing across her neck. His nose briefly tickled just behind her ear before he kissed the spot very, very softly.

Finally, he stilled and before long his arms relaxed around her. She couldn't help but wonder if that was his normal routine when joining her. She could understand how she could sleep through it; his hands were so gentle and light. She tried to recall if a man had ever touched her that way before. When his breathing slowed and became a steady rhythm, she slowly moved her upper hand to rest lightly on his, where it laid against her stomach. His other arm had slipped from her shoulders in his sleep and now rested directly in front of her. Her free hand carefully intertwined their fingers. It wasn't long before she too, was enjoying a peaceful slumber.

It took Hermione several moments to get her bearings when she awoke the next morning. She blinked against the light coming in the window and met Harry's beautiful green eyes. He seemed wide awake, so she guessed he had been up for some time. That's when she realized she was facing him, instead of away from him like normal. One of her hands was pressed against his chest; the other had circled to his back. Her leg was resting on his hip and she could feel his knee against her bottom, making her very aware that the t-shirt she was wearing had ridden up to reveal her knickers. Her first instinct was to disengage her limbs and regain her balance. But his eyes stopped her; they held an unfamiliar glint and the way he was staring at her made it a little hard to breath.

Before she could really comprehend what he was doing, Harry lowered his face so that he could press his lips to hers. She could feel him starting to pull back, so she skimmed the hand from his chest up to the back of his neck and into his hair. His lips slid against hers as his arms tightened their hold on her. A small sigh escaped her, answered by his deeper moan. Her head was feeling a little foggy and she wasn't entirely sure she was really awake, if it wasn't just some hormone-fueled dream. That is, until Harry moaned her name and rolled lightly on top of her. Having her best friend lying on top of her in the most intimate of ways, moving his body the way he was, made Hermione sure she wasn't dreaming. She had occasionally imagined kissing Harry, but her dreams had never got so carried away.

His hand slid down her side, resting on her bare thigh; slowly he started gliding it back up, taking her shirt with it until he had bared her abdomen and tickled her side with his feather-light touch. Meanwhile, his lips never stopped coaxing amazing amounts of pleasure from hers, his tongue randomly making sweeps of her mouth, his left hand tangled into her messy braid. Abruptly, his rushed kissing slowed and he pulled back to look into her eyes. His eyes were wide and vulnerable looking; he seemed suddenly unsure of himself. Hermione felt a bitterness forming towards Ginny for making her friend so unconfident. She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, his eyebrows starting to scrunch up. Ignoring her own insecurities, she took a deep breath and started to tug her shirt up and over her head. His hands hesitantly joined hers to remove the shirt and flung it over his shoulder, where it landed on the edge of the bed.

She bit her lip while she waited for his reaction. His eyes scanned her torso before returning to her eyes, he lowered his lips to hers once more before skimming them down her throat to her chest. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to move to her breast; that was always Ron's first destination. Instead, she gasped when his mouth pressed lightly to the thin scar left behind by Bellatrix LeStrange, he traced it from her lower sternum over to just under her left breast. However, instead of stopping where the scar ended, he continued to circle the mound, flicking his tongue out every so often.

"Ha-Harry," she whimpered.

"Yes?" he asked quietly.

She tried to respond, to tell him how much she needed more, but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she settled for vigorously shaking her head and grabbing a fistful of Harry's hair. This seemed to be encouragement enough for him, as he continued to caress her breasts with his hands and mouth. She had closed her eyes as the tension built within her. Her breath came in short pants as Harry began to move lower down her tummy. He had just reached her knickers and hovered there for a moment when Hermione suddenly found her voice. "You know, statistically speaking, women are 65% more likely to-"

"Hermione," Harry interrupted her with a chuckle, "shut up."

"O-ok," she gasped, pulling at his hair again. Her eyes closed once more and her head dropped back as she enjoyed his ministrations. She had never felt anything so fabulous. Soon her breath was coming in gasps and she started trembling. She found herself unable to prevent the startled wild cry that escaped her lips.

Harry's touch became more soothing before he began sliding back up her body, kissing her body along the way. He pressed his lips against her jaw then moved to her ear, as his hand slid back down towards her waist. She raised her hands to push against his chest. Deep, concerned eyes moved away to peer down at her.

She offered him a shaky smile. "Roll over."


	7. Chapter 7

Harry's eyes widened and a lazy grin spread across his face. Rolling off of her, he laid on his back, hands clasped behind his head. She kissed a slow trail down his toned muscles, her fingers gliding lightly behind her lips. Smirking a little, she blew lightly on the same path and saw his abs tense. She had always wanted to try out some of the things she had read about, and it pleased her to see the effect they had on Harry.

He quietly moaned again and grabbed a handful of her hair gently. She tried a few more of the movements she had read about. She was quite enjoying all the sounds and movements she could get out of him, when he tugged on her hair.

"Stop," he gasped, "Gotta stop."

She was pleased with herself as she sat up, she had never been able to make Ron squirm like that; of course the opposite was just as true. Before, she had always blamed herself, but now she wondered if Ron wasn't the problem; or maybe they just weren't compatible in bed either.

Harry stopped her train of thought with a long, slow kiss. He pulled her up onto his lap and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. No, there was no denying their compatibility, she fit to him perfectly. His strong hands worked to release her braid, then one buried deep in her curls while the other pressed firmly against her back, running up and down her spine.

She clung to him, until they were both ready to collapse. Panting, she ran her fingers through his damp hair and held him close.

"Never," he gasped for breath, pushing up on his elbows, "felt like that before."

"Me either," she agreed. "Not even close."

He grinned and leaned up to kiss her again when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Harry, why's your door closed?" Another knock. "Come on, Mate, wake up already."

"Go away, Ron," Harry yelled, jumping up and grabbing a shirt off the floor, he tossed it to Hermione.

"Oh good," Ron said opening the door just as she pulled the shirt on and Harry flung the blanket over his waist. "You are up." He looked expectantly around the room, eyes falling on their best friend. "Blimey Harry! It's just Hermione; I thought you had a real woman in here."

"Excuse me?" She glared at him.

"Oh, you know what I mean." He waved it off, flopping onto the bed beside a very uncomfortable Harry. "Last night was boring."

"Didn't look like you were too bored," Hermione grinned, remembering him outside the pub.

"Oh," his ears reddened, "Saw that, did you?"

"Yup."

A few moments of silence passed before Ron broke it. "What'd you do to Harry?" he asked, shoving his quiet friend playfully in the shoulder.

"Nothing," Harry and Hermione answered quickly at the same time, not looking at each other.

"O-kay." He looked at them again, but he really saw them that time; mussed hair, bright red lips, tousled clothing. "No. No way," he grinned. His eyes searched around the bedroom again, landing on her forgotten knickers, then Harry's boxers. "Er, Harry, mate, what you got on under there?" Another moment of silence stretched before Ron jumped to his feet. "Right. Well, I'll be in the kitchen."

A long silence followed his exit. Looking sheepish, Harry glanced over at Hermione, who was blushing and looking back at him. "Morning," Harry said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

She laughed and buried her face against his shoulder. "Morning," she mumbled. Unsure of herself, she slowly raised an arm to circle around his waist; relieved when he mimicked her and pulled her close. "You know, Ron's the only one I've ever…"

"I know. Same here," he paused, "Ginny! Ginny, I mean, she's the only one…before."

"I know. I mean, though, does this mean… What does this mean?"

"Um…" He held her tighter than before. "I'm not sure. I guess that it depends. What do you want it to mean? Do you want…well…me?"

She held her breath and looked up at him. "Harry, I-"

"I mean, you know, I'll understand if you don't want…if you just want it to be a one time thing. It doesn't have to be a big thing, if you don't want it to be."

"No. I'd really like it to not be a one time thing. That is, I mean, do you want me? Not just like this, but as, as a girlfriend."

"I really do." He touched her cheek softly before kissing her. "I wonder what time it is." The floo activated downstairs.

"I'd guess it's time for Teddy to come home," Hermione whispered urgently, jumping out of bed to dress.

"And you're okay with-"

"Of course I'm fine with raising Teddy. I love the little guy."


	8. Chapter 8

**Epilogue**

Harry sighed looking in on the living room; Teddy's toys were scattered everywhere. Reluctantly, he began picking them up and carrying them to his godson's room an armful at a time. He was just returning for the last few items when a woman stepped through his fireplace. She gracefully dusted the ash from her clothing and shook out her long red hair. "Ginny?"

"Harry," she said, looking up with a smile. "I know I should've owled first but Mum just wrote me and said she would see me here. So, here I am. I thought you would've told them all by now that I'd left."

"I-"

"No. It's okay. I don't mind," she paused, "In fact, I'm happy you haven't told them. I was hoping we could work things out."

"Gin-"

"Please, just give me a chance to explain myself. I love you; I always have. I just wasn't ready to raise a child. I know you weren't prepared for that responsibility either and I know I didn't make it easier on you. I shouldn't have felt relieved when I saw you doubting whether you should try."

"I never doubted Teddy," Harry interrupted fiercely. "Not for one second."

"I thought…" her voice trailed off momentarily. "That doesn't matter now. I've taken the time to really consider this. And I know I can do it now. I'm ready to step in as his godmother."

Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, Ginny, this is really bad timing, alright? You need to go and we'll finish this all up another time."

"Go? Why?"

"Did your mum tell you why everyone's coming here today?"

"No, of course not. She thinks I still live here, so naturally she thought I'd already know."

"No, she doesn't."

"Why are we worrying about this right now?" She smiled and shook her head, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Daddy!" Teddy yelled, running into the room and latching on to Harry's leg. "I home, I home, I home, Daddy! Miss, miss," he declared furiously hugging his leg.

"I missed you too, Teddy." Harry picked the toddler up and gave his cheek a kiss.

"I'm ready to be the godmother Teddy deserves."

Harry's head snapped in her direction, his brows furrowed. "Teddy already has a mum. You'll have to settle for Aunt."

"Ninny?" Teddy asked looking at her. "Ninny go gone waaaay way."

"A mum? What? I don't…I'm confused…Tonks," she stuttered.

"Teddy-o! Where'd you go?" Hermione called from the kitchen, her voice getting closer as she approached the room. "There you are." She smiled until she saw Harry's face. "What's wrong?"

"Hello Hermione," Ginny said, moving forward and embracing her old friend. She pulled back with a confused look on her face when Hermione remained stiff in her arms instead of hugging her back. "Look, I was just apologizing to Harry for everything. He's forgiven me. I know you're his best friend and you think you have to be angry for him. But, we're working things out now. It's going to be okay."

"You're…Harry?" Hermione turned wide eyes on him.

"I was just explaining to Ginny that-"

"Mummy," Teddy wiggled in Harry's arms.

"Oh, Teddy, aren't you sweet?" Ginny reached out for him.

"No no, Mummy," he squealed still squirming.

"Come here buddy," Hermione whispered, taking him from Harry's strong arms.

"Wait," Ginny said slowly. Her eyes darted back and forth between the three of them.

"I was trying to tell you, Ginny. Hermione moved in a few months ago and tonight is our engagement party. She's the mum Teddy deserves and loves. And she loves him back. And me."

"But, you, I…you didn't wait for me?"

"No and I've never been happier. I'm sorry if you're hurt but we're a family now and nothing's going to change that. Maybe you should just head over to your mum's."

"Ron."

"He's going to be my best man, of course."

"I…" She blinked a few times, turned and stepped back into the floo, heading for the Burrow.

"Harry, are you-"

"I'm perfect, Hermione. Loving you was the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're my everything."

"Oh Harry," she sighed. He reached for her, pulling her into a deep kiss. A loud squeal broke them apart as Teddy wrapped tiny arms around their necks and slobber-kissed them both on the cheek. "Thanks Te…what's that smell?" They both sighed when Teddy giggled.

_Thanks for reading and all your patience with this fic! _


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